Nimes Amphitheatre

The elliptical Nimes Amphitheatre is in amazingly fine condition considering its
2,000-year age.

Nimes Amphitheatre
tips and insights

In Roman times

Over 20,000 people would fill the seats to watch gladiator fights,
animal hunts, and other crowd-pleasing spectaculars.

Today

The wonder still pulses. Events include concerts, circuses and bull
fights (mainly bloodless). And, it's covered and heated in the winter.

Awning

The Nimes Amphitheatre in its Roman days could be covered with a vast canvas canopy
to shade the viewers from the sun and rain. In our current era, it also sports a
temporary cover, but it's used only in the winter.

Crowd-flow

The architects designed an intricate corridor system that allowed spectators to reach
their seats (and later exit the arena) within 4 or 5 minutes. Crowd-flow in
modern arenas pales by comparison.

Nearby wonders

The
Nimes Amphitheatre is an easy walk from another Hillman Wonder medal winner, the
Maison Carree.